Kielian Snake
The Kielian Snake is a fictional species mentioned in the Guardians of Ga'hoole series. They are native to the Northern Kingdoms and are described as having iridescent blue scales (the shades and hues of which vary between families) and the ability to shift the shape of their heads for digging. The Keilian League is famous for employing Kielian snakes in their army; they ride upon the backs of owls, assisting them in battle. Kielian snakes also serve many owl families in the Northern Kingdoms as nest maids, much like Blind Snakes do in the Southern Kingdoms. Their size is never explicitly stated, although considering that a Screech Owl - a relatively small bird - could fly with one on their back without much difficulty, they are likely a small to medium sized snake, perhaps comparable in size to a Garter Snake. Habitat Kielian snakes are native to the Northern Kingdoms - the species name itself likely comes from the name of Kiel Bay, a region in the west of the Northern Kingdoms. A large colony of Kielian snakes reside in Hock, a coast of Stormfast Island. Kielian snakes are adept swimmers and art often found living near the sea. On Hock, each snake familiy lives in a "nost", a hollow burrow carved into the rocky cliffs of Hock. These nosts can also be made in ice. Behaviour Diet Kielian snakes mostly feed on fish. (More info to be added) Color mutations While all Kielian snakes have iridescent blue scales that can shimmer in a wide range of hues, each snake has a certain dominant shade of blue. These color variations do not denote subspecies, and appear to simply be color mutations within one species. Kielian snakes have a wide range of names for these various colors, and these color variations make up a part of each snake's identity. Hoke lists some of the names of these color mutations on page 43 of The Rise of a Legend: * azure * cyan * cerulean * cerulean lazuli * turquoise * cobalt * violusia (striated) * violusia (non-striated) These color mutations range from more greenish blues to more purplish blues, and the names for various appearances can get even more complex - for example, both Hoke and Hellie refer to their particular coloration as "spotted azure-back". Anatomical Features Kielian snakes are capable of manipulating the shape of their head for multiple purposes, particularly for digging and carving out caves from stone. Their muscles are very flexible and strong, being able to break rocks and ice. They also possess a fan-like ruff of scales on their necks called extended scale plates, or "ESPs." These ESPs can be used to control the speed of descent, much like a parachute, when plunging into the ocean. Notable Kielian Snake Characters * Octavia * Hoke of Hock * Gragg * Hellie * Gilda Gallery Hoke_of_hock.jpg|Hoke of Hock Octavia.jpeg|Octavia Japanese_octavia.jpg|Octavia on the Japanese cover of The Rise of a Legend Japanese_gragg.jpg|Gragg on the Japanese cover of The Rise of a Legend Japanese_burning_gragg.jpg|Gragg on the Japanese cover of The Burning Category:Species Category:Snakes Category:Kielian Snakes